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Cooking and Cruising with Spencer Schmerzler ‘13

Spencer Schmerzler
graduated from SUNY Cobleskill in 2013. In five and a half years, he has
cruised the world – getting paid to do so. As a host of America’s Test Kitchen,
aboard Holland America Line cruises, Schmerzler’s work has taken him from
Croatia to the Caribbean. All the while he maintains his SUNY Cobleskill ties.

“Right off the bat SUNY
Cobleskill presented me [with] limitless opportunities and confidence that made
me feel like I could achieve anything I set my mind to,” says Schmerzler. “My
time at SUNY Cobleskill taught me to [approach] the world with passion, love,
and humility.”

It also taught
Schmerzler to explore the culinary world through any and every open door. After
graduating he co-opened a food production and catering company, using
ingredients grown and produced in the region. He also worked for three-years as
the head chef at a Department of Environmental Conservation summer camp, and at
Wellington’s Herbs and Spices, in Middleburgh.

Experiences in kitchens,
campsites, and cooking classes all had one commonality, Schmerzler says, when,
in 2016, he found himself again looking for career opportunities. “The key
component was interacting with the people I cooked for, and making moments that
would open people’s minds when it came to food.”

Taking advice Schmerzler says was given to him from three separate SUNY Cobleskill professors on graduation day, that “the world is your oyster,” the Long Island native landed his dream job. Through America’s Test Kitchen he has cooked in more than 50 countries – and his opportunities continue to grow. “What better way to understand food and different cultures than to actually experience [them],” says Schmerzler.

He has no plans to slow down. “I have been in this job for the last two years, and every day has been nothing short [of] an incredible journey,” says Schmerzler. “‘The world is your oyster.’ SUNY Cobleskill showed me just that.”